Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said:
"Industry sales have grown steadily in the UK this year and as Ford sales
have increased so has our sales lead over our nearest rival. Ford’s
market leadership is founded on our best-ever vehicle range supported by
the expertise of Ford Credit and our outstanding UK dealer network. The
strength of our appeal to private customers, who have driven up our share
of more profitable retail sales, is testimony to the effectiveness of this
combination.”

The official figures released by the SMMT show that total car sales in
September, when registrations are boosted by the plate change, were up 12.1
per cent to 403,136 units, compared with September 2012. For the year to
date (end September) total UK car sales were 1,794,924 – up 10.8 per
cent compared with 2012.

Ford car sales in September were 51,084, up from 47,370 in September
2012. For the year to date Ford car sales were 249,017, up from 224,369 for
the same period in 2012. Ford total vehicle sales, which include CVs, were
61,651 up from 57,818 in September 2012.

Ford’s share of retail car sales in September was up 0.1 of a
percentage point at 12.6 per cent, compared with September 2012, and for
the year to date retail share was up 1.0 percentage points at 13.3 per
cent, compared with the same period in 2012.

Ford Fiesta was the UK best-seller in September with increased sales,
compared with September 2012. Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus are the number one
and two best-sellers for the year to date – both models have
increased sales and share, compared with the same period in 2012.

Sales success across the Ford car range in 2013 has seen the Ford Ka,
Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX and Kuga all increase sales and share for the
year to date, compared with the same period in 2012.

UK Commercial Vehicle sales in September were up 12.4 per cent, compared
with September 2012, and for the year to date were up 8.1 per cent. Total
sales of Ford CVs for the year to date were up from 52,989 to 55,589.

Ford’s ongoing CV market leadership remains unchallenged with a
21.2 per cent share of the total CV market in September and a 21.9 per cent
share for the year to date. This compares with 13.4 and 12.3 per cent,
respectively, for the nearest rivals.

Ford Transit is in its 48th consecutive year as the UK’s
best-selling commercial vehicle. Transit holds 14.7 per cent of the CV
market for the year to date compared with 5.7 per cent for its nearest
challenger. In September, Transit accounted for 14.0 per cent of the total
CV market and sales of the recently launched Transit Custom have already
exceeded 7,000, to add to that share.